The Night before Christmas

[Wicker Man]

What do you do the night before Christmas?

Really interested to know, other attending church mass what do you guys do the night before christmas. I try to make it unique each year, but last year my family and I went on rounds xmas carolling arounf the neighorhood with others. It was a long time since I did that. Perphaps this year we're going on a holiday. Don't know where or when yet... Last year my family and I spent a comfy evening on the couch watching "Miracle on 34th Street" and "White Christmas".

[Spookymufu]

we watch A Christmas Story, maybe other Christmas shows we might have on DVD or that are on TV. We turn off all the lights except the Christmas tree lights. If we have enough gifts for the kids we let them open one. We used to go around town looking at the street lights displays in the various neighborhoods we knew that did whole street displays but that was back home and we havent done that in years

[Li H'Sen Chang]

Drive home to go to bed after day of visit family that live 100 miles away from myself.

[witchy]

We celebrate Christmas with all our family's, (Paul's and mine) on Christmas eve, we have a big dinner then let the little one open their packages from the family. I will miss my brother terribly this year, but I am very happy his kids are coming with their kids this year. Christmas Eve is in some ways better than Christmas day for me, being with family, eating lots of good food and going to church, what else could a witch ask for!!

[Morticia]

We have our Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve, that way we don't have to do anything but relax Christmas day. We've found it's more fun to have it when the anticipation of Christmas is still in tact.

[Murfreesboro]

I spend most of Christmas Eve cooking and, if I can remember it, I tune in to the Lessons & Carols from Cambridge on NPR during the morning. Generally I make cranberry orange bread, a wassail punch, cornbread for dressing the next day, a broccoli-rice casserole, and I bake a ham.

My husband, older son & I sing in the Lutheran church choir at a 7 pm service that is sort of abbreviated Lessons & Carols. Husband & son will most likely stay for the 9 pm communion service, but I'll go home to cook some more or wrap a last-minute present. Then older son & I will head out to the Episcopal church downtown for midnight services.

We open gifts on Christmas morning, and then I get started on baking the turkey or chickens. I'll make a citrus salad. We eat the cranberry orange bread when we first get up, and then we have an Eggs Benedict brunch. Husband usually cooks the Eggs Benedict.

We'll drive around town to look at lights earlier this week, maybe tonight and tomorrow. Christmas Eve is too late, and many of the best houses are crowded with sight-seers, anyway, at that time. We've been watching Christmas movies all month, and our church choir caroled at nursing homes last weekend. Last night we attended a full-on Lessons & Carols service at the Episcopal church. (They do it right.)

[Pumpkin56]

My sister and I already did our Christmas lights sight-seeing this year. We went early because the last two years we went closer to the big day and it was such a nightmare! Bumper to bumber traffic. This year we grabbed the little niece and went out for pizza and and then headed out to show her the lights.

On Christmas Eve, we don't usually make a fuss for dinner. Everyone gets together either at my parents house or at my uncle's house. Generally we just graze on various appetizers and socialize. This year, however, we will probably be making fajitas on Christmas Eve--we used to make these on Christmas but my parents had to go and change up the tradition and now we will be doing prime rib. So, since my siblings and I are all about the Mexican food, we just elected to make our favorite the night before

[Wicker Man]

Any one of you eat pumpkin pies on Christmas? Fruit cakes? Nuts? Sausage biscuit balls?

[Murfreesboro]

I usually have a pumpkin pie for dessert on Christmas.

[Wicker Man]

How about pecan pie? It's so good!

[Pumpkin56]

We do all of those things, Wicker Man. The pies are usually saved for Christmas Day. If my grandmother has time, she makes a fruit cake (although she doesn't really get many takers on that thing ) I think my sister plans to make sausage balls on Christmas Eve. I will be trying my hand at monkey bread this year. That was a huge thing while my great-grandmother was still alive. It's been a long time since my family has had it at Christmas so I'm under a lot of pressure to try and get it right!

[Wicker Man]

Oh, I love monkey breads!

[Li H'Sen Chang]

I make monkey breads last week!

[Wicker Man]

Here's the recipe link for monkey bread if any one wish to make for Christmas!

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/monkey-bread-i/

[Pumpkin56]

Here's the recipe link for monkey bread if any one wish to make for Christmas!

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/monkey-bread-i/

Aw thanks Wicker Man! I don't think my grandmother ever wrote her recipe for monkey bread down so I have to go by what's on the internet. Murf sent me a few links to try as well. I certainly appreciate the help